Yanks solve a lot of problems with that trade.

...and return to old form unloading tons of young talent.

but arent both nady and marte both young talent? they gave up ohlendorff(sp) and a couple other no names, we/they got immediate help from young talent, i hope this turns out well

Well, Nady is 29 and Marte is 33, so not exactly young but not too old, either. They both have some years left in them and the Yankees will have at least Nady through next year, and Marte has a $6 mil option, so if he performs well the Yanks might keep him. I'm not overly thrilled about Nady- this is a career year for him and he's been an NL guy his whole career, so who knows if the move will benefit him or hurt him. Marte...., well, relievers are so hard to predict. I think he'll do well, but at any moment they can start to suck and never stop (Chris Hammond) so I'm not going to do cartwheels over this. However, the Yankees top 3 needs are, IMO, starting pitching, outfield, and lefty reliever, so shoring up 2/3 of these is pretty freakin good. Also, if Nady performs, we know Abreu is gone, which I'm happy with- Nady gets one full year to prove himself while Gardner, Ajax, and Melky battle it our for the other 2 spots, with Damon spelling in LF. If Nady can do it, great- if not, the Yankees have good OF talent in the minors, so no big deal.
As for "tons of young talent," that's a little dramatic, no? The only guy in that deal that could be considered to have "tons of talent" is Tabata, the 20 year old enigma. The guy's had some issues on and off the field, and I believe they had to demote him from AAA to AA or AA to A, I can't remember, because his power (his main strength) had dropped off. Now, when the Yanks got this guy, he was being projected as a consistent 30 HR, 100 RBI guy- so, if that's what he develops into in 4-5 years, the Yankees made a HUGE mistake. However, it's obvious from what the higher-ups were saying about him that they had cooled on Tabata and were concerned about personality issues. I think they sold low on him, but if they really think Tabata will not become Jay Buhner, then I'll have to put my faith in the front office. Ohlendorf had a couple of really great starts in AAA- the Yankees were trying to convert him back into a starter- so the Front Office did the exact opposite with him- they sold high, really high. This guy isn't more than a 4th starter, tops, and most likely a 5th. He was easily the Yanks 6th or 7th best starting pitching prospect, a spot at which they are loaded in the minors. Part of the reason Cashman keeps drafting starters is to flip them in deals because they have so many guys in the minors at this point at SP that it won't kill the Yankees to flip one. And losing Ohlendorf is barely a loss, IMO. Coke is 26 and was at AA, so that should tell you a lot about him- he has had a great run as of late, but again, sell high. And I have never heard of Kontos, but from what I read he isn't all that spectacular. So, in the final analysis, I think this was a good trade for the Yankees- unless Tabata is an all star in 2013.

From what I understand, only one of the three prospects was highly regarded. Olendorff was ok, but he was just lost in the shuffle of a very deep bullpen.

Tabatta was their highest rated prospect at one point.

And he was the 3rd rated when they traded him, according to Baseball America. And he had fallen behind Jackson in terms of OF in the system. And he had lost all his power and slugging this year. And he had some personality problems. And he's 3 more years away from being an everyday player. Look, if Tabata is an all star within the next 5 to 9 years, I'll be the first to admit the Yankees lost this deal-unless they win the WS because of Nady and/or Marte, which I don't think will happen because I'm not delusional nor an optimist. But it's not like they traded their most important or highly touted prospect for these guys. Big deal.

Yeah but.......we didnt sign Bonds, and everyone knows he...

"is still feared by pitchers everywhere"

So much like the Abreu deal, the Pirates just unloaded Marte and Nady, correct?

No. Like I said, there is a possibility that Tabata becomes an all-star- if this happens, then the Yankees will have lost out on the deal (barring a WS championship with Nady and/or Marte). However, the organization has a better and more ready OF prospect and had soured on Tabata. Pittsburgh took a high risk, high reward prospect as the Yankees see it. Also, McCutchen can probably start this year or next for Pittsburgh and be halfway decent, maybe a back end guy- I have more faith in him having success than Olendorf- but like I said, the Yanks have 5 or 6 SP's in their system that they project to be better than Ohlendorf or McCutchen, so they were expendable. Nady had one more year left and from what I read it was doubtful Pittsburgh was going to pick up Marte's $6 mil option for next year, so they sold high on Nady and got something for Marte. Both teams benefit, so it's unlike the Abreu salary-dump of 2 years ago.

The last time the Pirates were relevant...

I was a freshman in College....I hate them...dont worry...the Bucs will trade these guys if they amount to anything...

Good to see the yankees new "team building" and "growth from within the organization" lasted all of half a season.

I'll refer you to my first post in this thread. This is not mortgaging the future whatsoever.

Sweet. Another post by Jimmy Jerkoff that adds nothing to a thread. For the fifteenth time, I will cite statistics to back up my claim, which I'm sure will be scoffed at by erynthered. Feel free to click here:

2007 MLB Leaders- Walks

Bonds led MLB in walks last year, despite missing 36 games due to injury. He had 217 fewer at-bats than Todd Helton, who had the second-most walks in the league. Clearly, pitchers were afraid of his bat and didn't want to face him, LESS THAN A YEAR AGO. From a PURELY BASEBALL standpoint, Bonds in 2007, at age 43, was among the most FEARED hitters in MLB, as evidenced by the fact that pitchers DID NOT WANT TO GIVE HIM A HITABLE PITCH, moreso than ANY OTHER PLAYER IN BASEBALL.

I realize he has brought a lot of his current situation on himself, but ANY other player would've been signed by now. Say whatever you want, but it's clearly Bonds' baggage as the reason he's not on a team, not his ability at the dish. I don't feel bad for him, I just think that MLB burying their heads in the sand and hanging the guy out to dry is bush league, when EVERYONE had a hand in steroid era. If he wasn't a castaway (mainly because of his legal issues and surly attitude, but also because of GM blacklisting) he would certainly be among the most feared hitters in 2008. That is indisputable. It was that way from 1989 thru 2007; there's no reason to think 2008 would be any different.

Now, enough reading eryn, please enlighten us with another post that brings nothing to the table. I marvel at your versatility as you span various thread topics with your special ability to contribute nothing.

Yanks haters keep hating. You guys crack me up!